Fifty female patients admitted to the orthopaedic unit at the Royal East Sussex Hospital with a fracture of the proximal femur were followed prospectively. Forty-six of these patients had concurrent medical problems. Six patients required resettlement after recovery from their fracture, and of the twenty-six returning home, eighteen required support from social services. The function of the geriatric/orthopaedic unit is reviewed and it is suggested that the combined unit is of value to all elderly patients with a proximal fracture of the femur.